A Father to the Fatherless

It has come to my spirit, that the issue of fatherless men is one subject we can't address too lightly. The number one attack on families is in the line of fathers. Liberal society has demeaned and diminished the roll of a father in home to the detriment of all children raised in those homes. The men in pop culture who are considered good parents are more "mom-like" than fatherly. Why is that? Well, it's because of the aversion that popular culture has to all things manly, and modern society has made the emasculation of the head of the house excepted and fashionable. The roll of a father in a home is distinct from that of a mother. I'll give a few examples. When you get a cut on your arm a mom will usually make a big deal out of it, clean and bandage it and check on your emotions to make sure you're alright. A father will look at it to be sure it doesn't need stitches, then tell you to wrap a paper towel around it so that you don't get blood on the floor. He usally won't make a big deal about it because it's no big deal! "Everyone gets cut once in a while." The truth is, both parenting attributes are good and right, but either kind on it's own is insuficient. Another example of parenting differences would be evident in the case of bullying. A mother would usally be inclined to call the school and/or parents and solve the problem for the child. A fathers will be more apt to help the child solve the problem themselves by means of brains or braun. (my father told me to $&@# in' drop them.) well so much for brains and diplomacy. Again the point is, both kinds of parenting have value to a child's development. One of the other benefits of having a functional father in the home is security. One thing my dad did best was make me feel protected. I knew when I was young that Hell had no fury like my dads protective rath. And I thank God that this has transferred to me for my family. (Thanks Dad.) I know growing up that, that feeling of protection and security provided a psychological cocoon for me to develop in. And in turn I hope that I have done the same for my children. That's the point! The unbroken chain of fatherhood is passed from father to son and on and on. But the world has broken down the line for many men. And that's where we as men of God come in. We are to be stand in earthly fathers for son's (and daughters) without functional fathers. We are called to help fellow fathers with Godly advices and support. We need to rebuild the lines of Godly fatherhood. A man raised without fatherhood is at a great disadvantage and we need to dig in and build-in the stuff that's missing in our brothers without fathers. I don't really give a crap about what popular thinking says on the subject of fatherhood, only good men can build good men and modern society can go to a really hot place where God's presence is absent forever! Or if you like....$&#%€>&^¥#!!! Gods Word says: (He is a) Father to the fatherless, defender of widow--this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. (Psalms 68:5-6 NLT)

The Sons of Thunder Culture

If you've already read about the principles and precepts that we, as men strive for, let me now try to explain what the Sons of Thunder is. It's a diverse group of men, of all shapes and colors, whom follow Christ, from all types of socio-economic backgrounds, with different talents, and for sure different personalities. We believe that God has placed us in a common brotherhood for the benefit of each individual and the advancement of His kingdom in our area. We're not a religious group, because religion sucks. (We define religion as man's attempt to reach and please God through rules and traditions made up by men.) In fact, detecting, revealing and smothering religion is one of the things we do best. (Besides eating steak.) The reason we called our group the Sons of Thunder, is after the nick-name that Jesus gave the brothers James and john in jest, (Mark 3:17) because they were knuckleheads who didn't understand the Kingdom of God in a full way. (Luke 9:54-56) (Which is just like us!.....Well, at least we know that we’re dopes who don’t fully understand everything.) We believe that Jesus was goofing on them when He nicknamed them that, and that brings us to another thing we do well. We are very good at harassing each other. (Like brothers do.) Lord forbid, you show up with a pink lawn chair at a camp-out. No one really cares about the color of your chair but, the verbal chiding you would have to endure will make you want to throw it in the fire. (Ahhh, it's all in good fun.) So if you're sensitive or thin skinned, we have the healing” ministry for that flaw for sure. The Sons of Thunder is not a church group. Most of the men do go to a church somewhere but it's not exclusive to one church or church people”. We don't care about denominational dog squeeze. If you believe in, and follow Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, Whom died for our sins and was raised from the dead; and you know how to pee standing up, your application for membership is accepted. We camp once a month from October through April and have forged lifelong friendships through working and hanging out together. We contact, meet up, and hang out with each other intermittently throughout the weeks between camping and other planned events. So these are real friendships and not just phony church crap. One of the other signs of acceptance and brotherly love in the group is the giving of nick-names or monikers. I.E; Uncle Dave, Uncle Jimmy, Big Mac, Nate Dog, Cornbread, Butterbean, Mr. Wilheight, Junk Yard and Jeremiah are some of the nick-names of renown in the tribe. Some of the boys have more than one nick-name, so you have to be on your toes to learn them. We have learned not to force Spiritual conversations or happenings. Our conversations around the fire can go from laughing about all the manly hygiene problems associated with camping, (enough said) to having very deep talks about God and Godly things, sometimes in the same conversation. I guess the main tenure in the tribe is Truth. We strive to face the truth about ourselves, the truth about the world, and we seek the Truth in the things of God through Christ. We recognize our humanity and love to laugh at its funny side while trying to improve upon, and limit its propensity for sin with Gods' help through His grace. Well that's all I can write about the tribe this time for fear of writing a book of mind numbing lameness. All I can say is come camp with us and see for yourself. 

Father Filter

What's your image of God?....No, not what he looks like....To be more precise, what is the perception you have of your relationship with God? Is He easily angered? Is He hard to please? Is He uninterested in your interests? Is he overbearing? How about financially? Is God frugal and cheep or is He extravagant and giving? Well you might have all the right answers about how God really is on the tip of your tongue but, do you really approach your relationship with God that way? If the truth be known, your perception of God (as in God the Father) is directly influenced by your relationship (or lack there of) with your human father. If you grew up with a father whom you felt was always disappointed with you, how could you not feel that you disappoint God, deep down in your thinking. That's what youv'e learned that a father is like after all. Or even worse, what if your father abandoned you? It would only be natural for you to be unsure of how to relate to the Father in heaven or you might even feel that he may give up on you and abandon you at any moment. These imperfect examples of fatherhood could also apply to any father figures in your life. To be sure, your father, or father figure has some good qualities and those are all transferable to your realationship with God, because God is all things good. But unlike your father on earth our God is without flaw. Take some time and (prayerfully) think about how you related to your dad (or father figure) growing up and what that was like...... Now how does that perception "filter" your image of God in your life today? Even men who've served God for decades struggle with a flawed image of the Father in heaven that has been filtered through their experiences with their dads here on earth. It's simply part of our fallen condition. So if you really want to have a better relationship with God, just know that His side of the deal is perfect and flawless and His thoughts and plans for you are prefect and without alterior motive. And your wrong impression of Him has to be continually put in check and corrected. Even after you know how He really is, those old learned tendencies based on your experience can keep creeping in. So keep at it. Gods word says:"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. (Jer 29:11-13) Well that sounds like a Father Who has your back.

Honor Decoded

Honor...Well there's a word sometimes used without being fully understood. Honor is a moral code of personal conduct that a man governs himself with. You don't need to be rich or affluent to have honor. You don't need to be educated or smart. Skills or talents are not nessesary. Good looks and charisma are not needed. In short you can be a broke, homely, talentless dope with all the social graces of a pot bellied pig, yet be a honorable man. In fact, honor is only evident and built when mistakes are made or trouble occurs. A flawed man who quickly rights himself builds an honorable repretation with the person he's wronged. Honor is built as integrety is exercised. So you... are the perfect guy to walk in honor because you're a screw-up. And you'll have ample opportunity to build some. (Don't get riled, I am too.) Here's another mindboggeling point... The ability to honor (verb) that which is honorable (adjective) denotes honor (noun) in a man and makes him worthy of honor from those around him. ( boy I hated English class so I hope that's right.) I have seen this in action in the man culture I grew up around and more recently in the pack that I belong to now. I know a leader of men who honors the man over him. And in turn, the men whom he leads, honors him. Let's look at some official definitions. Honor (noun) 1. honesty, fairness and integrity in ones beliefs and actions. 2. A source of credit or distinction. 3. High respect as in worth, merit or rank. Honor (verb) 1. To hold in high respect; revere. 2. to confer distinction upon. Honorable (adjective) 1. Of high rank, distinction or high moral quality. 2. Worthy of honor and high respect; estimable; creditable. Well... enough English class already! Let's look at some quotes...Walter Lippmann says, “He has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so." Or..."He who sows virtue reaps honor."- Leonardo da Vinci. And again, my favorite movie quote from Rob Roy "All men with honor are kings - but not all kings have honor." What is honor? Honor is... what no man can give ye, and no one can take away. Honor is a man’s gift to himself. Enough said.

Soul Medicine

              

There’s some inherent connection between us and fire. I don’t think I’ve ever met any man who didn’t like staring into a fire once he’s tried it. Men were gathering around fires and staring into them in all recorded history, so it’s not a new fad by any means. But what is it about fire that catches our gaze and calms our spirit? I’ve seen very troubled men get relief and healing in their souls around campfires. I always feel the calming effect the fire has on my own scrambled brains so I can attest to the treatment. We, as men of God have known responsibilities and standards to uphold in life. And the burden mismanaged, can overwhelm and discourage us to the point of spiritual paralysis. The pace and logistics of modern life make it hard to slow down and focus on maintaining order in our minds. Self-examination is easier in front of fire. Making future plans is somehow smoother there. But I don’t want to get away from the real Giver of peace to men’s souls, Jesus. He said “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Try some of that action in front of a fire and you might float out of your camp chair in a peaceful brain cloud. Yeah boys, the combo of a pensive time with God and a nice fire is hard to beat. And I recommend it as a regular treatment if you can. 

The Heart of Warrior

Oh the good ole' days when words like aggression, competition, confrontation and challenge weren't viewed as uncivilized words. Now it seems as though they shouldn't be uttered in politically correct company. Back when it was ok to have winners and losers. When you didn't expect a ribbon or award for fourth, fith and sixth place. When there was no such thing as a participation award. What kind of crap have we accepted? That kind of politically correct dog squeeze is woosifying our coming generations. Especially our young men. I don't know about you but my instructions from my dad in a physical altercation was to drop them like a bad habit. I guess he doesn't understand the complexities and nuances of molding a boys young mind. (what a barbarian.) Or did he? Nature itself shows us that males are more aggressive, competitive, and confrontational. Why? Well...... There are studies, but you can find "studies" to prove anything you want to. So we'll depend on Gods examples of excellent men in His Word. Men go to war. (aggression is nessesary for that.) David, Paul, Peter, John the Baptist and especially Jesus were confrontational. And competition was evident amist the relationships of Jesus' disciples continually. The truth is boys who are allowed to compete and play aggressively are more likely to grow up to be confident, assertive and successful men. And men who allow themselves competitive, aggressive outlets are happier and healthier. I love mixed martial arts. Nothing entertains me more than watching a beating unfold in HD. We all like action movies with explosions, fast cars and guns. We don't like romantic vampire movies................. (sorry, I just threw up in my beard a little.) And we like competitive sports of all kinds, and it's ok because God made you that way. You have the makings of a warrior because you're a man so don't apologize. Don't spend too much time getting in touch with your feminine side because it's supposed to be underdeveloped! Your a man dammit! You don't hear about women trying to get in touch with their masculine side do you? Who the heck wants a manly woman for a wife? No one with any God given sense anyways. A wise man I know told me that the Spirit of God makes women more feminine and men more manly. It would only make sense for the Creator of men and women to restore them to His original design under His guidance. So watch out... The world trying to woosify you and deform your original design. Don't except it's standards. You'r a man.

Virtue Word Study

We use words that we read and hear to describe things and add value and texture to the ideas we are trying to convey, but we don't always understand the full meaning of the words we use. So from time to time I'll do a word study to educate the wise and bore the foolish. Sort yourselves out you know which you are. And if your foolish keep your pie hole shut and maybe no one will notice. Let's start with Virtue as in men of virtue. Noah Webster says: VIRTUE Vir"tue, n. Etym: [OE. vertu, F. vertu, L. virtus strength, courage, excellence, virtue, fr. vir a man. See Virile, and cf. Virtu.] 1. Manly strength or courage; bravery; daring; spirit; valor. [Obs.] Shak. Built too strong For force or virtue ever to expugn. Roget's Super Thesaurus says: virtue adv. 1. MORALITY goodness, righteousness, uprightness, moral excellence, decency, character, integrity, incorruptibility, honor, Christian values, principle, ethic. “The fount whence honor springs.”—Christopher Marlowe. “Forebearance.”—F. Scott Fitzgerald. “Reason in practice." In short, Virtue means manly excellence.......Good Word!